Digital Convergences
by Vivi-Chan
Summary: A crossover of Digimon Tamers/Digimon Adventure 02 - Milleniumon has plans for the Chosen and Tamers - but it has things specially planned for Ken Ichijouji and Ryo Akiyama. Spoilers from Tamers and wonderswan games....
1. Prologue - "Dark Horizons"

This is something that I decided I wanted to write, although it's the first  
Digimon fanfic that I might ever finish. It's a Digimon Adventure 02/Digimon  
Tamers crossover story.  
  
I don't own Digimon, I wish I did....  
  
Digital Convergences Prologue - "Dark Horizons"  
by vivi-chan  
  
Takato scratched at his nose, feeling ridiculous as he tried to figure out  
just how he was going to phrase things. The phone continued to ring and he was  
thinking just maybe, no one was home at the Akiyama household. That was funny.  
SOMEONE should be home at 7:45 am. Just as he was setting down the phone, he  
heard a click and brought the phone back to his ear. "Hello? May I speak with  
Ryo-"  
  
"Speaking...." came a tired sounding voice, the last half of the word had been  
drowned out by a heavy barely stifled yawn. "Sorry..."  
  
"Ryo-san? It's me Takato Matsuda," he heard complete silence on the other end  
of the line. Apparently Ryo was thinking. "From Tokyo?" Takato wisely added.  
  
"Takato?!" exclaimed Ryo, apparently snapping awake. "I didn't recognize your  
voice for a moment! How are you? Is something up?"  
  
Takato breathed a sigh of relief, "No, nothing's wrong. Nothing at all... I  
was just wondering if you were free for the summer?"  
  
"Well... aside from taking part in the D-1 Tournament, I'm entirely... free!"  
Ryo seemed to relish the notion. Takato didn't know all that much about Ryo,  
although he liked the older boy. After all they'd been through... he thought  
Ryo should know. "Why?"  
  
"I was wondering if you wanted to journey to the Digital World?"  
  
There was a momentary silence. "You found a gate?" His voice held an excited  
edge to it.  
  
Takato made an affirmative sound. He jerked the earpiece away from his ear as  
he heard a loud whoop and giddy laughter coming from the other end of the  
line. "Yes! Yes! YES!!!!"  
  
He was guessing Ryo was just as eager to see his partner again.  
  
"When?" asked Ryo, finally regaining a semblance of normalcy.  
  
"After the D-1 Tournament," replied Takato. "You're coming up for it right?"  
Ryo lived down in Kyushu, near Fukuoka. An unhandy distance away, if you asked  
him...  
  
"Yeah. I'm coming up for it," affirmed Ryo. "I'm taking the train today as a  
matter of fact."  
  
"Anyways.... can you give me a call when you get up here? The group of us can  
hang out for a bit and plan our trip." Takato had been eager to see Ryo again.  
They hadn't really gotten to know each other.  
  
"All right. Sure. I'm actually supposed to take the train up today..... You  
guys live in Shinjuku right?" There was the sound of rummaging about, and a  
faint aha. "My train leaves Fukuoka a little past 11:20 and is supposed to  
arrive in Tokyo at around 4:30. Let me hop online really quick to check the  
Narita Express schedule."  
  
There was the sound of a chair squeaking and then rapid typing. It sounded  
like Ryo was really familiar with computers. "If I take Narita Express 28, I  
should be in Shinjuku a little before 6pm. Maybe we should meet somewhere near  
Shinjuku station..."  
  
"That sounds good," replied Takato. "Um.... statue? We could meet at the  
park...? You know, where the Ark brought us home from the Digital World?"  
  
There was a bit of silence, "Sure. I'm pretty sure I can find that place  
again. Do you have a cellphone or something I can call you at in case I get  
delayed?" asked Ryo.  
  
"Um.... no...?" Takato hadn't quite planned it out that much in advance. "But  
Ruki has a cellphone. I can give you that number."  
  
"All-right," replied Ryo, jotting down the number as he gave it. Ruki would  
doubtlessly kill him, but it was for a good reason, REALLY. "I'll give you a  
call if anything changes then!"  
  
"All right! Bye! See you tonight!" said Takato hanging up the phone and  
breathing a sigh of relief.  
  
"Takato!" it was his mother calling. "Can you help your dad bring in the  
supplies?"  
  
"Coming mom!" he called out, racing down the hall and down the stairs in a  
clatter of feet. He still had plenty of chores to do.  
  
----  
  
Ken closed his eyes and counted slowly to ten.  
  
"Ichijouji...." The whining petulant balky way his name was said could only  
come from one person... Daisuke. He sighed internally before the sound of the  
keyboard issuing warning beeps made him open his eyes once more. "Your  
keyboard's gotta be broke... It's not doing what I tell it to!"  
  
Ken had tried to be nice. Daisuke WAS his best friend. But this was getting  
absurd. "No," corrected Ken, grabbing hold of Daisuke's hand before the  
spikey-haired boy could cause the blue screen of death from all his wild key  
pressing. "Hitting control-alt-delete while the mouse is over Takeru's name  
will not boot him off the channel."  
  
"I wanna boot him off the channel!" complained Daisuke. "He's all busy  
chatting with Hikari-chan! I can't talk to her with him yammering at her like  
that!"  
  
Ken saw the conversation flowing across the screen as he spoke in his most  
patient and reasonable of tones. "The only way you can kick someone off the  
channel is if you're an OP."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
Not the most brilliant of answers, but he'd come to expect it from Daisuke.  
"You need to have ops to kick someone off a channel," Ken repeated slowly.  
"Your account doesn't have that priviledge."  
  
"But you have that OP thingy right?"  
  
Ken sighed, "Listen.... We're logged in on your account. Got it? Your email  
address doesn't match mine so even if we log in using my nickname you won't  
have OPs." He wasn't going to trust Daisuke with that much power so he forbore  
to mention that he could have easily gained it.  
  
"Dammit," muttered Daisuke, propping his head on his arm which in turn his  
elbow was propped on the table. "I'll never have a chance to ask Hikari-chan  
out."  
  
There were the regulars - Koushirou, Hikari, Takeru, Miyako and Iori.  
Sometimes International Chosen Children could be found frequenting the channel  
but right now, it was just the five of them.  
  
* Hikari: Takeru-kun. My brother's asking if your brother's home.  
  
Takeru was staying with his brother it seemed.  
  
* Takeru: He's making lunch, why?  
  
* Hikari: My brother wants to know if the two of you want to catch a  
movie later, he wants to watch "Harry Potter and the Order of the  
Phoenix." Ichijouji-san? Miyako-chan? Iori-kun? Izumi-san? Would  
either of you like to join us? It's the 3:00 showing.  
  
BingoGirl: Yes-bingo!!!  
  
That was Miyako.  
  
* Iori: I'll have to ask my mother.  
  
* Tentomon: Sure. It sounds fun.  
  
Koushirou used Tentomon as his chat name, named after his Digimon Partner.  
  
Ken leaned over to type a reply quickly.  
  
* Ichijouji: Motomiya's visiting. Sorry. Perhaps another-  
  
Daisuke batted Ken's hand away from the keyboard.  
  
* Ichijouji: We're coming too Hikari-chan!!!!  
  
Ken looked at the screen... already he could imagine all the looks on  
everyone's face as they read that single line of text. It was just so wrong...  
  
His line of thought was neatly derailed as someone hopped onto the channel.  
  
* Hikari: Hi there, Millenium!  
  
Hikari was usually the first to greet any newcomers that logged onto the  
channel.  
  
* Millenium: RYO WA DOKO?  
  
It was written all in katakana... Where is Ryo?  
  
* Tentomon: Welcome to the channel, Millenium.  
  
* BingoGirl: Are you looking for someone?  
  
* Millenium: RYO WA DOKO?  
  
Ken frowned, mumuring the name, "Ryo.... Millenium...."  
  
Daisuke was usually dense, but he seemed to an uncanny knack for knowing when  
something was seriously nagging Ken. "Ken? What's wrong?"  
  
Ken shook his head, "I'm not sure... the name sounds familiar. Ryo...." It was  
frustrating trying to remember anything that had occured before his years as  
the Digimon Kaiser. Anything related to his first journey into the world was  
doubly so. "Millenium....."  
  
Minomon, who could be heard playing on the bed with Chibimon peered over the  
railing of the bunk bed. "What's wrong Ken? What about Ryo?" Chibimon's white  
face could be seen peering from under the guard rail, looking rather curious  
as well.  
  
"Are we talking about Milleniumon?" Chibimon asked, hopping off the bed and  
landing in Daisuke's outstretched arms.  
  
Minomon followed, floating over to his chosen. Ken was dimly aware that he was  
hugging Minomon. Milleniumon. Ryo. Quickly he let go of Minomon and started  
typing as Millenium repeated its question for the 10th time.  
  
* Ichijouji: Everyone! Get off the channel!  
  
That was the last conscious thought Ken had as a brilliant white light erupted  
from the computer monitor. 


	2. Chapter 1 - "Genesis"

I don't own Digimon, I wish I did....  
  
Digital Convergences   
Chapter 1 - "Genesis"  
by Vivi-Chan  
  
Takato paced about impatiently. "Shouldn't he be here yet?" Leaves crunched  
underfoot as he walked to and fro before finally sitting down on a bench, next  
to Ruki.  
  
Jianliang Lee stood there. directly across from Takato, leaning against the  
railing with his arms folded. His eyes had been closed, but now opened to  
check his watch. "It's BARELY six o'clock Takato-kun. Give Ryo-san some time.  
He probably doesn't know this area all too well."  
  
Lee-kun, as Takato called him, was in a different class from him. He was  
friendly and really seemed really grown up.... smart too. Lee's partner had  
been a very laid-back creature called Terriermon.  
  
"I can't believe you gave him my cellphone number! HIM! Of all people!" Ruki  
was furious. She'd pulled off her headphones to speak and Takato could vaguely  
hear some sort of music blaring from the earpieces. "I should kick your ass."  
  
"I-... sorry! Sorry! I'm really REALLY sorry!" Takato tried to placate Ruki  
all the while inching slowly backwards. "It was the only number I could think  
of. I don't have a cellphone yet. Neither does Lee-kun." Takato was rather  
nervous that Ruki WOULD carry through with her threat to inflict serious pain  
upon his being someday.  
  
Ruki Makino was... scary. She really was. She was a complete tomboy. She was  
also the reigning D-1 Digimon Card Game Tournament winner. She was called the  
Digimon Queen, and anything concerning Ryo Akiyama - the legendary champion of  
the D-1 Tournaments was something of a sore point with her.  
  
"Hmph! That's why you're an idiot." With a sense of finalty, Ruki put her  
earphones back in place and closed her eyes again. The only signs of movement  
were her breathing and her index finger tapping out a beat. The unpleasant  
frown on her face served to underscore what a faux pas he had made.  
  
"Yo!!!" The call came from a distance. It was Ryo, jogging along with a  
battered brown satchel slung over a shoulder. He trotted to a halt in front of  
them. "Sorry I'm late, I got turned around at Shinjuku Station and came out  
the wrong exit. Had to backtrack."  
  
"Hmph. Figures," replied Ruki, removing her headphones. "So. What now?"  
  
"Well..." began Takato. "I asked Jian about restaurants in the area... he  
suggested this Chinese restaurant nearby."  
  
Jian grinned faintly, "It's owned by one of my relatives."  
  
"Chinese?" Ruki didn't seem impressed. "I suppose."  
  
"I havn't had Chinese in ages," said Ryo. "It sounds like a great idea."  
  
"All-right! Let's go!" exclaimed Takato.  
  
They walked as a group towards the restaurant that Jian had suggested, passing  
by various stores, including an internet cafe. As they walked by it, Ryo's  
D-Arc began to beep insistently.  
  
Ryo frowned, pausing to glance at it. "What the heck...?" He glanced towards  
the place. "Can you guys hang on a minute, I need to check something out."  
Without waiting for their approval, Ryo dashed into the place.  
  
"I wonder what's wrong?" asked Jianliang.  
  
"Let's follow him!" suggested Takato, taking a step towards the entrance.  
  
"This is ridiculous," replied Ruki.  
  
"Excuse me-" Ryo's voice could be heard clearly as he spoke to the woman  
manning the counter.  
  
Takato decided the lady was creepy. She just had this aura about her. She was  
silver haired, dressed in red with an odd hat. Her eyes were obscured by the  
thick coke-bottle sized lenses.  
  
"You must be the one this package was supposed to be delivered to," the woman  
replied in contempt. She reached under the counter to pull out a package  
wrapped in newspaper. "This is for you, Ryo Akiyama."  
  
"How do you know my name?!" Ryo demanded.  
  
"Follow the instructions inside and maybe you'll find out!" With that said,  
the mysterious woman leapt over the counter, knocking back Ryo before running  
off. "You'll see me again, brat!"  
  
"What was that about....?" asked Takato.  
  
"Saaa...." replied Jianliang, looking equally lost.  
  
Ryo looked at the package that had been left on the counter top. He reached  
for it and began to carefully unwrap it. Inside was a note and some kind of  
terminal. With the package under one arm, Ryo unfolded the letter and began to  
read, his expression growing uglier by the second.  
  
Takato had never seen that look on Ryo's face before, and truth be told, it  
frightened him more than just a little. Ryo had read the note in the package  
before crumpling it up in one hand.  
  
"Where's the digital gate?" Ryo asked.  
  
"What's wrong, Ryo-san?" asked Takato.  
  
"Where's the digital gate?!" Ryo demanded again. His expression was that of  
cold fury.  
  
"Is there something wrong?" asked Jianliang.  
  
"It's none of your business!" Ryo nearly exploded it seemed, then paused.  
"Sorry... it's something I have to do."  
  
"We'll help!" volunteered Takato instantly.  
  
"We?" asked Ruki. Trust Takato to assume everyone was game for it.  
  
"No! It's too dangerous. It's not a game," Ryo said, pulling out his D-Arc and  
pointing in various directions like a compass. "I'm going alone."  
  
"We're a team!" protested Takato. "We promised to go the digital world  
together."  
  
"There might not BE a Digital World if I don't go," he replied breaking into a  
run. Apparently the D-Ark had picked up some kind of signal.  
  
"But Ryo! What about food?" Takato asked.  
  
"I'll forage, like I've always done!"   
  
Takato was rather hard pressed to keep up with Ryo as the older boy ran,  
although Jianliang raced ahead. "I'll head him off!" Jian reassured him,  
sprinting ahead  
  
"This is ridiculous," complained Ruki from somewhere behind Takato where she  
was lagging behind, although rapidly catching up.  
  
Jianliang, true to his word, had blocked Ryo's way. "If you'd just explain it  
to us, we'd be willing to help."  
  
"I don't NEED your help, dammit! You'll all just end up getting hurt." Takato  
had never seen Ryo react so negatively to anything.  
  
What was that supposed to mean? "Is it the D-Reaper again?" Takato asked.  
  
"Are you saying we don't matter?" demanded Ruki. She seemed to take any  
implication that she wasn't as good as Ryo as a personal affront. "If you  
think you're going to leave us out of this, you're SORELY mistaken." Ruki  
emphasized it with a kick.  
  
"No, not that..." Ryo gripped the package that he still had in one hand. "It's  
personal. I have to save a friend..."  
  
"Why didn't you say so? Any friend of yours is a friend of ours," said Takato.  
See? It wasn't that hard was it.  
  
"It's not that simple... Oh... all right, just stay out of my way..."  
  
"Maybe we should get some supplies?" suggested Jianliang. "Or call our folks?"  
  
"No. There isn't enough time for it, I'm not sure if there's enough time  
anymore..." He pushed past Jianliang. "C'mon.. we've GOT to hurry. If you've  
still got that PDA, Takato... you'd better email Yamaki later."  
  
Through the tunnel, that Guilmon had dug what had seemed ages ago, Takato  
followed Ryo and they ran through the gate.  
  
Takato had forgotten just how scary it was, falling down from the 'real world'  
towards the lowest Digital Level... the ground was racing towards him at an  
incredibly fast rate and he tried to keep in mind that he was data.  
  
----  
  
Taichi sat up, spitting out a mouthful of sand. It seemed as if the sand had  
gotten everywhere in his clothing. Yick. He stood up trying to shake most of  
it out. Where was he? Looking around, he could see it was a vast expanse of  
beach. Jutting out from the sand like some postmodern piece was a telephone  
call booth.  
  
"Ow.... Where are we?" asked Yamato as he sat up, rubbing at the back of his  
head. He pulled himself to his feet.  
  
Taichi heard some coughing and spitting, "Pthooey!" It was Koushirou, coughing  
up some sand while clutching his Pineapple laptop. "Taichi-san... Yamato-  
san..."  
  
Taichi pointed to the telephone booths, buried in the sand. There was a row of  
them, apparently left just the way they had been when they had last been here,  
nearly five years ago. "Looks like we're back... on File Island."  
  
Taichi patted himself down, "Do either of you have your D-Terminal with you?"  
he asked Koushirou and Yamato. As a matter of fact, he was probably lucky he  
even had his Digivice with him. "Nevermind... does your laptop work,  
Koushirou?"  
  
Koushirou sat down on the sand, indian-style and opened his laptop. Pressing  
the power key, the large pineapple obediently appeared on the screen.  
"It appears to be functional, Taichi-san."  
  
"Good. Try to email the others and get ahold of Gennai-san." Taichi grabbed  
hold of Yamato's arm, "Yamato and I will scout around. Stay put... unless  
Shellmon comes after you!"  
  
Pulling Yamato along, Taichi asked, "What was the last thing you remember?"  
  
"Nothing really...." Yamato replied, cramming his hands into the pocket of his  
jeans. "Takeru was talking about you wanting to go see a movie. I was going to  
take the keyboard from Takeru so that I could message Hikari... I remember  
there was a message from Ken."  
  
"Yeah... I thought I saw it a split second before everything went blank...  
something about 'get out of the chat room'? Wonder if Ken knows something?"  
Taichi hoped that the others were all right. It had been more than just the  
three of them in that room.  
  
"Possibly, hopefully Koushirou can contact him," replied Yamato noncomittally.  
"So. You take north and I take south and we'll meet back at the beach?"  
  
Taichi gave Yamato a thumbs up, "That's the plan." With a grin and a wave, he  
pushed his way through the undergrowth. Hikari... Be careful... he thought to  
himself.  
  
----  
  
"Ow.... where are we...?" asked Daisuke as he sat up. Abruptly a gust of wind  
seemed to snatch at his clothing and the sand stung his eyes. He pulled his  
goggles over his eyes. Where on earth were they?  
  
With his goggles on, he was able to make out the fact that they were on a  
windy bluff. It looked like a complete desert or something... except for the  
glowing balls that went rolling by as the wind blew.  
  
Looking around he caught sight of a familiar figure, "Hikari-chan! Are you all  
right!" Scrambling to his knees, he crawled over to her. "Hikari-chan! Hang in  
there!"  
  
"Daisuke...." said a voice just as close by. It was Takeru, holding his hat  
down to keep it from being whipped away by the wind.  
  
"Are you all right, Takeru?" asked Patamon hovering anxiously in front of his  
partner.  
  
"Waugh!" Takeru made a grab for his partner as a gust of wind threatened to  
send his partner flying off. Instead, his hat went sailing off in the wind.  
"I'm fine Patamon."  
  
"Where are we...?" It was Miyako, adjusting her glasses as she looked around,  
"Hawkmon! Iori!"  
  
"Miyako-san..." the younger boy mumured in confusion, "Where are we...?"  
  
"You're asking me?!" Miyako asked with a hint of hysteria in her voice.  
  
"Ken-chaaaaan!" came the call of Wormmon. "Where are you?!"  
  
"Ken!" Daisuke's head whipped around to focus on the insectoid digimon. If  
there were any more conversations going on, he'd have whiplash from everything  
that was grabbing at his attention. If Wormmon was here like all the other  
partnered Digimon... Ken had to be here too. Standing on the edge of the  
bluff, he called out, "ICHIJOUJI!!!!"  
  
Damn the wind... it was difficult to see anything! What if Ken had fallen from  
the bluff or something? That was when he caught sight of movement in the  
distance. What could have been a solitary figure, pushing against the  
direction of the wind. "Ichijouji!"  
  
"Do you see him?!" asked Miyako.  
  
"Down there!" Daisuke pointed. Without prompting, he began to slowly climb his  
way down the bluff, V-mon following closly, hopping from outcropping to  
outcropping. Wormmon seemed determined to come along for the ride as well.  
"I'm going after him! You guys stay here!"  
  
"Wait Daisuke-kun!" exclaimed Takeru. "It's dangerous! I'm coming too!"  
  
Whatever Takeru had said, was lost to the wind. Who said goggles were  
useless... Reaching the ground, Daisuke pulled out his D-Terminal, "You ready,  
V-mon?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah!" exclaimed V-Mon.  
  
"Digimental UP!" called out Daisuke, transferring the data from his D-Termnal  
to his D-3, uploading the Digimental of Friendship.  
  
Disappearing in a flash of light with the Digimental, V-mon called out, "V-  
Mon! Armor evolve to...."  
  
Daisuke never got tired of watching the change. It was incredible how the  
Digimental could cause such a change in a Digimon - in this case turning V-mon  
into a swift four-legged beast.  
  
"Roaring Friendship, Lighdramon!" With a leap, the newly evolved Lighdramon  
sprang out of the rabidly fading light.  
  
Daisuke vaulted onto Lighdramon's back, "Let's go partner!" he called out,  
urging his Digimon to head towards the figure in the distance.  
  
"Right, Daisuke," affirmed Lighdramon.  
  
--------  
  
The voices wouldn't shut up in his mind. If Ken had been in any coherent state  
of mind, he might have screamed. The voices in his mind - the manical laughter  
had seemingly narrowed the senses of his world to sound and pain.  
  
"Go away!" he raged in his mind. There was no shutting out voices that were  
within his own mind. His neck hurt as if that thing embedded in the base of  
his skull had come alive.  
  
"Return to your former self," came the silken seductive and cold whisper.  
"Return to the darkness.... find me...." The three phrases continued to mock  
him as he walked in a daze. The voices seemed to roar with each beat of his  
heart, driving him in search of something. He knew not what, but he was  
searching...  
  
Ken was jarred out of his daze as he tripped on a boulder. He rolled, finding  
himself staring up at the sky. Up towards the strange blue sphere in the sky  
above. He was aware that a red dinosaur-like creature was peering at him.  
  
"You don't smell of Takato but Guilmon hopes that you might know Takato." it  
asked with a hopeful air as it sniffed at him.  
  
Takato? He didn't know ANY Takatos.... even at school. "NO... g'away...." His  
head was hurting fit to burst. The sunlight seemed to send stabing knives into  
his mind and his neck seemed to now be on fire.  
  
"It's a very large world," said a second voice, husky and vaguely feminine. It  
belonged to a fox-like creature. "I don't think he knows Takato and the  
others."  
  
"Mou-man-taaai!" chimed a white and green creature. "Ne? Monodramon?" It  
looked, at least to Ken, like a mix between a dog and a rabbit. "Monodramon?"  
  
The red creature seemed rather lost about things and glanced between the other  
Digimon, "Eh?"  
  
The final creature was a grey-ish thing, with a horn-like proturberance. It  
was snarling faintly at him, and Ken felt himself baring his teeth back at it  
too.  
  
"Monodramon?" asked the golden Digimon. The concern in that Digimon's voice  
was hardly of any consequence as his world narrowed in its focus to the  
creature called Monodramon. Just as he seemed to reject the Digimon, there was  
an urge to posess it.  
  
"Monodramon?" the smallest Digimon hopped off the fox Digimon's shoulder.  
"Monodramon. Daijoubu? Are you all right?" It stopped mid question, looking  
towards the sky, "Jian...."  
  
"It's Takato!" the red digimon cried out happily, after sniffing the air. "And  
Jianliang and Ruki and Ryo! It's everyone!!!!"  
  
"Let's go," said Terriermon, running. Guilmon enthused, echoed the sentiment  
and followed the smaller Digimon. Only the golden Digimon and Monodramon  
remained.  
  
"Monodramon?" the fox-creature asked warily.  
  
The grey creature lunged towards him with a snarl.  
  
"Monodramon!" exclaimed the fox-creature, grabbing hold of Monodramon's tail.  
"Cease this at once!"  
  
Ken just laughed, because it seemed the right thing to do. Laughing seemed to  
clear his mind. At last, he knew what he had been looking for... it was this  
Digimon known as Monodramon. 


	3. Chapter 2 - "Convergence"

I don't own Digimon, I wish I did....  
  
This chapter is a bit slow since (I didn't do enough planning and set-up in the previous chapter) so I'm sort of stuck with a few things. Hopefully the next chapter comes out a little better.  
  
Digital Convergences Chapter 2 - "Convergence"  
by Vivi-Chan  
  
-----  
  
They hadn't gone very far when Terriermon realized that Renamon and Monodramon  
hadn't come along. "Wait, Guilmon!" called out Terriermon, from it's perch on  
Guilmon's back.  
  
"Eh? What's wrong Terriermon?" Guilmon asked slowing from its trot.  
  
Terriermon crawled up to stand on Guilmon's head and stood tiptoed with its  
ears/wings outstretched for balance. "Ah! This is terrible.... Renamon and  
Monodramon are fighting!" Terriermon pointed with a tiny paw.  
  
"We have to stop them," said Guilmon, turning around.  
  
Terriermon hopped off of Guilmon, "I'll go tell Jian!"  
  
"All right!" Guilmon turned to trot back towards the two fighting Digimon.  
  
Terriermon watched Guilmon for a moment before breaking into a run. It was  
times like this that it wished for longer legs or even a Speed Option card....  
Flying in this weather wasn't an option - the gusts were going the OTHER  
way... "Jian...." it said.  
  
Terriermon knew, with an absolute certainty that the figures descending from  
the skies above were Jian and the others. They'd come back... and just in  
time. Pouring every ounce of strength into his legs, he ran. He hoped there  
would be enough time.  
  
It had seemed forever before he crested the hill in the direction that they'd  
fallen. It wouldn't have been that far if Guilmon had been running. He could  
see three of them at last. There was Jian, Ruki, Ryo... and he finally caught  
sight of Takato, crawling out of one of the craters.  
  
Takato was just like Guilmon... just a little clumsy. Jian and Ruki had their  
sunglasses on. Smart move. The winds here, after all, were terribly fierce. As  
if to emphasize the point a strong gust threatened to sweep it away.  
"Jiaaaaan!!!!!" it cried out. Was Jian close enough to hear him? Over the  
wind?  
  
Terriermon tumbled backwards. It had to reach Jian! "JIAN!!!!"  
  
-----  
  
"Ow... ow...." muttered Takato dragging himself slowly out of the impact  
crater he'd created.  
  
"Are you all-right?" Jianliang leaned over to help Takato up.  
  
"Yeah..." Takato muttered. The brown-haired boy shielded his eyes against a  
sudden gust of wind and snapped his goggles in place over his eyes. "Now to  
find Guilmon and the others!"  
  
"Do we even have any idea HOW to find them?" asked Ruki dusting herself off.  
  
"They'll find us," replied Ryo, scanning the horizon. He seemed so confident.  
  
"It'd be great if they were in this plain... it could take DAYS for them to  
find us if they're in any of the other places," complained Ruki. "This was  
such a badly planned trip. If we get eaten by some hungry Digimon I'm going to  
so hurt you, Takato."  
  
Jianliang decided wisely, not to get involved in this. Well... maybe he  
should... Takato looked really nervous right about now. "Don't blame Takato,"  
he said in his calmest voice. "We all followed Ryo into the Digital World  
right?"  
  
Ruki, looked even more annoyed but remained silent at that. Ruki liked to be  
contrary it seemed. It felt at times, that Ruki was trying to prove she was  
every bit as good as Ryo.  
  
Jianliang was about to say something else when he heard Terriermon. It wasn't  
voice so much as a mental cry. It wasn't just him, he realized after a moment.  
The other Tamers had frozen in place, in a pose of strained attention.  
  
"Something's wrong," said Takato...   
  
"That way!" said Ruki, her D-Ark out and already scanning the area. She  
pointed.  
  
"Let's go!" said Takato.  
  
They hadn't been running for long before Jianliang caught sight of a familiar  
pair of ears. They were flapping wildly as Terriermon clung desperately to a  
rock during a particularily violent gust of winds.  
  
"Terriermon!" exclaimed Jianliang running forward.  
  
"Jiiiiian!!!!" Terriermon exclaimed. "Renamon and Monodramon are fighting!  
Guilmon stayed back to help! We have to stop them!"  
  
"Renamon!? If anything happens to Renamon," said Ruki savagely, "I'm kicking  
your ass!" Ruki broke into a run with Ryo hard on her heels.  
  
"Nothing's going to happen to Renamon," Ryo vowed, "I won't let it!"  
  
Jianliang glanced to Takato, "We have to hurry!" Terriermon assumed his  
position clinging to his shoulder, his weight was reassuring, and Jianliang  
almost couldn't believe how much he'd missed it.  
  
"What happened?" Ryo called back to them. Jianliang and Takato were doing  
their best to catch up.  
  
"Well-" said Terriermon... "We found a human... and then Guilmon and I went to  
find you... but when I looked back Renamon and Monodramon were already  
fighting."  
  
"I didn't catch that!" Ryo called out.  
  
Jianliang called out, "Terriermon says that they met a human.... Terriermon  
didn't see who started the fighting."  
  
"Thanks!" Ryo called out.   
  
As they ran, Jianliang heard a beeping coming from Ryo's bag.  
  
Ryo, too, noticed it and at last pulled that package the woman in red had left  
behind. He ripped off the rest of the wrapping to reveal some sort of device.  
"A Reload Machine...?"  
  
What was a Reload Machine? It sounded like Ryo had seen one before.  
  
"What did this human look like?" Ryo asked.  
  
"Well.." said Terriermon. "He had hair longer than Jian's.... he was wearing a  
white and grey. I don't remember too well..." the small Digimon confessed.  
"Ah! Over there! Over there!"  
  
------  
  
Daisuke was aware of the others trailing him. Cursing Takeru he wondered why  
no one ever seemed to listen to him. Pegasmon, Nefertimon and Holsmon were  
soaring in the turbulent skies above - it seemd that Iori and Armadimon were  
riding with Miyako.  
  
"Kuso~" cursed Daisuke. How had Ken managed to travel so far? Had they been  
unconscious for a while? "Hurry it up!" He had caught sight of what had looked  
to be fighting and was hoping the Digimon weren't fighting over Ken.  
  
Holsmon skimmed the ground almost next to Lighdramon, Miyako was clinging for  
dear life. "We must hurry."  
  
"I know that," said Lighdramon.  
  
There was a beeping sound coming from his D-Terminal and he opened it...  
trying to read it without being blown off of Lighdramon. The wind here was  
immensely annoying.  
  
We've got company. Hikari and I will head them off if they're hostiles.   
- Takeru  
  
"Why does Takeru always have to be the one to go with Hikari-chan?" muttered  
Daisuke. It made him jealous to see Takeru and Hikari always together. It  
wasn't fair. It wasn't fair at all.  
  
Daisuke looked up towards Takeru, the blond-haired boy pointed in the  
direction that he'd seen the people. Sure enough there humanoid shapes. He  
didn't see any signs of Digimon though... unless that red thing and gold thing  
and grey thing up-ahead were theirs.  
  
Pegasmon and Nefertimon arced upwards into the currents and veered towards the  
other group. Daisuke watched them go, feeling a surge of jealousy towards  
Takeru. A jarring leap from Lighdramon brought him back to reality, what was  
he doing thinking about Hikari-chan at a time like THIS? Ken needed his help.  
  
-----  
  
It seemed to be hours later, that Koushirou finally received any sort of  
response from Gennai-san.  
  
"I'm glad to hear you're all right," said Gennai-san. On Koushirou's monitor  
screen, the now much younger Gennai - dressed in robes of white trimmed in  
sepia appeared.  
  
Koushirou placed a hand over the earpiece pressing it against his ear to  
listen more carefully. There seemed to be a bit of static in the transmission.  
  
"Taichi-san, Yamato-san and I are well, although we seem to be unable to  
contact Daisuke and the others." Koushirou then added, "Do you have any  
reccomendations for the course of action we should take?"  
  
Gennai spoke. "I fear the worst for the others. I have lost complete track of  
them. It is possible that they fell through a tear in the fabric of space and  
time, in which case, it may well be beyond the scope of my powers to locate  
them."  
  
"A tear in the fabric of space and time?" Koushirou repeated just to ensure  
that he'd heard correctly.  
  
"Correct... It has happened before, albeit only once before," Gennai replied.  
There was something that Gennai wasn't telling them, it seemed. "It'll be  
easier if I explain it all of you at once... you and the others with you must  
travel to my home. Whamon will arrive to bring you to the main continent. I  
will contact you again when you reach Folder."  
  
"Understood, I'll be awaiting your contact," Koushirou replied. He switched to  
the email program, waiting for return emails. So far he'd received replies  
from Jou, Mimi and Sora. He had still heard nothing from Daisuke and the  
others.  
  
"I hope everyone's all-right..." he said softly closing his laptop to send it  
into sleep mode. He stood up, brushing off the sand that clung to his legs to  
wait for both Whamon and the scouting Taichi and Yamato. He mused that things  
certainly never stayed peaceful for long. Not that he minded much. There were  
always opportunities to learn new things this way. Like that conversation with  
Gennai just now.  
  
------  
  
Ken's mind seemed to float in a disembodied haze. Pain, confusion, worry....  
all of it seemed insignificant in comparison to what he felt right now. There  
was nothing but the senseless giddy joy that made him laugh. He had no idea  
who he was... where he was... it didn't matter. Just the beautiful siren's  
keen of chaos and distruction as he watched the trio of Digimon.  
  
"Cease this now, Monodramon!" called out the golden fox Digimon. "How dare you  
attack a human!" The fox Digimon held the grey creature by its tail.  
  
"We don't want to fight you!" said the red Digimon.  
  
The grey creature called Monodramon seemed beyond any sort of reasoning as it  
broke free of Renamon and lunged once more at Ken.  
  
The red digimon headbutted Monodramon, knocking him barely out of the way...  
Ken winced as he felt a razor sharp claw rake against his arm. He clutched at  
his arm, seeing a thin line of red well up. He stared down at it, fascinated.  
Another distraction came.  
  
"Ichijouji!!!!" His mind automatically classified the voice. This was a  
physical voice he recognized.  
  
There was a second voice as well, "Ken-chaaaaaan!"  
  
And a third, "Ken-kun!!!!"  
  
The trio of voices somehow managed to penetrate through the symphony of chaos  
and destruction that keened in his mind. Coming back to himself gradually, he  
began to feel the throbbing pain in his neck. He felt his stomach churning.  
Most of all, he felt sick... what had just happened?  
  
----  
  
"Something's coming," said Terriermon, pointing upwards. Jianliang recognized  
it as two Digimon swooping towards them. Looking back up at the two Digimon,  
he caught sight of riders. Other Tamers? One appeared to be a fairly cute  
girl. The other was a boy with touselled blond hair.  
  
Jianliang had pulled his D-Ark and was scanning the white Digimon.  
"Nefertimon... Armored Vaccine Holy Beast Digimon.... Attack is Curse of  
Queen..."  
  
Obediently, Terriermon switched its focus on the second horse-like Digimon.  
"Pegasmon.... Armored Vaccine Holy Beast Digimon... Attack is Silver Blaze..."  
  
The two Digimon circled to land directly between them and where Monodramon  
and Renamon were fighting.  
  
"Out of my way!," exclaimed Ryo. He was clearly impatient especially since  
they were now close enough to literally be within shouting distance. Ryo had  
no interest in listning to these two newcomers - then again Jianliang couldn't  
fault him.... Cyberdramon had been a combative Digimon... although Monodramon  
hadn't seemed overly so.... Stopping Monodramon before it hurt anything was  
the most important thing.  
  
"Why are you stopping us?" demanded Ruki, she craned her neck trying to see  
past Nefertimon's white wings. "We don't have time for this!"  
  
"Just listen to what we have to say for a moment," said the blond-haired boy.  
  
"Who are you?" asked Takato. "Are you Tamers too?"  
  
"Tamers?" asked the blond, looking towards the female. The term obviously  
wasn't familiar to them.  
  
"We don't have the time to explain," said Takato. "Please just let us pass and  
we'll explain later!"  
  
"I don't have time for this! Monodramon!!!!" called out Ryo as he broke into a  
sprint circling around Pegasmon. "Stop it!!!! Now!!!!"  
  
"Renamon! Kick Monodramon's ass!" Ruki, having decided on the same strategy,  
ran around Nefertimon.  
  
"Wait Ryo! Ruki!!!" exclaimed Takato.  
  
"Aaaah, they went bye-bye" said Terriermon as it hung from its perch on  
Jianliang's neck. "Are we going too?"  
  
"They're fighting each other....?" asked the blond astride the Pegasmon,  
evidently confused. "Why are their Digimon fighting each other?"  
  
"We have to stop them... please, don't try to stop us!" said Jianliang.  
  
"What should we do, Hikari-chan?" asked the blond boy. "Should we let them  
pass?"  
  
The girl, named Hikari, seemed indecisive but she nodded. "Yes... I think it'd  
be best..."  
  
The two Digimon stepped aside, opening a path for Takato and himself.  
  
"Thank you!" exclaimed Takato running forward. "We'll explain everything  
later! Promise!!"  
  
It was looking rather like a bad stand-off as they reached the scene...  
Jianliang wasn't sure when he'd ever seen more Tamers gathered together....  
All of them strange Digimon were armored types, except for the Wormmon and the  
Armadimon.  
  
Ryo had lashed out with his D-Ark using the strange whip of light to restrain  
his partner Digimon. "Monodramon! Stop it! Now!" The older Tamer was exerting  
considerable strength, to judge by the furrows being created by his heels  
digging into the ground.  
  
Ruki had a card out, prepared to slash it should Monodramon get out of hand  
again. Then there was the boy that Terriermon had described, clutching a bleeding  
arm. He was looking both ill and terribly lost.  
  
Jianliang rather dreaded trying to get everything sorted out, although... at  
least it looked like it wouldn't degenerate into a Tamers vs. Tamers war. At least... not yet. 


	4. Chapter 3 - "Reunions"

I don't own Digimon, I wish I did...  
  
It's a really strange feeling.... I'm thinking of the dialogue in Japanese so  
it gets really interesting trying to convert it into English.... @_@; Then  
again, writing fanfiction is usually a really interesting experience for me  
anyways.... here's the next part!  
  
Digital Convergences Chapter 3 - "Reunions"  
by Vivi-Chan  
  
-----  
  
Ryo had forgotten the earlier mystery of the Reload Machine in favor of trying   
to restrain Monodramon. Monodramon hadn't been like this when they first  
met...it had been after Monodramon had forced Zeed Milleniumon into a Jogress.  
The Jogress had resulted in a Digi-egg...  
  
It had hatched into Monodramon. Ryo had thought it was the same Monodramon...  
he certainly acted quite normal... Curious, and quite a handful... Monodramon  
lived with him in Fukuoka until it evolved into Cyberdramon during a fight  
with a Digimon that had escaped from a Digital Field. It was a struggle to  
keep Cyberdramon under control at least until it regressed back to Monodramon.  
With each successive battle, the stronger Cyberdramon got, the more vicious it  
became... the more feral and destructive it got.  
  
That had been when he'd chosen to go to the Digital World and keep Cyberdramon  
on a short leash. Ryo was not about to leave his Partner alone... even if it  
had been the source of alot of pain and suffering. It was a decision made out  
of pure desperation. Unchecked, Cyberdramon could easily become another form  
of Milleniumon and wreak havoc on both the Digital World and the real world.  
  
"I shouldn't have left you...." he said continuing to grip his D-Ark tightly.  
"I'm sorry Monodramon...."  
  
"Ryo-san.... can I help?" Takato asked.  
  
Ryo shook his head glancing at the younger tamer. "Just calm everyone down and  
try to explain things... I think Monodramon's calming down." He could tell  
because his Partner wasn't straining so hard against him anymore.  
  
"C'mon Monodramon...." said Ryo. "It's me... Ryo... your partner..."  
  
He was vaguely aware of conversations being made in the background while he  
exerted control over Monodramon, speaking to it. It felt almost like trying to  
control a miniature Cyberdramon... except that he stood a MUCH better chance  
of controlling Monodramon.  
  
"Ryo...?" It was the first word to escape from Monodramon's mouth in what had  
felt like an eternity. "What happened to me?"  
  
Ryo breathed a sigh of relief, releasing the energy whip and allowing it to  
retract. "You had me worried there for a while buddy." Ryo walked over to  
kneel down next to his partner and give it a hug. "Everything's all right  
now... I'm REALLY sorry Ruki... guys...."  
  
"It's not your fault," said Takato. Ryo wasn't surprised to hear that from the  
younger boy. If only he knew. "Besides... nothing bad happened!"  
  
"Nothing bad?" asked Ruki, her voice dripping with sarcasm. She had gone over  
to help inspect the boy's wound. "Ryo's partner only tried to kill someone."  
  
"Anooo~ Ummmmm~" It was the girl with purple hair and glasses that spoke.  
"Just who are you guys?" She was grinning and trying her best to look  
friendly.  
  
"I'm Takato Matsuda," Takato spoke up, stepping forward. "This is my partner  
Guilmon."  
  
Guilmon butted at Takato. "Neeee Takato.... did you bring any Guilmon bread  
with you?" He sounded positively plantive.... and Ryo was hard pressed not to  
grin. The red dinosaur-like digimon seemed to be ruled by one thing and one  
thing alone - its stomach.  
  
"Is it good?" asked the blue Digimon.... the one that had regressed from  
Lighdramon. It was a V-mon. "I want some too!"  
  
Guilmon made an affirmative noise which sounded like a faint giggle. "It's  
very good. It's in the shape of Guilmon so it's called Guilmon bread!"  
  
"Mou.... Guilmon.... I'm trying to be serious here," said Takato doing his  
best to frown at his partner.  
  
Jianliang seemed to know to take over, taking a step forward and bowing. "I'm  
Jianliang Lee. Pleased to meet you all..."  
  
"I'm Terriermon!" Jianliang's partner was hanging off of Jianliang's shoulder  
with one ear wrapped partially around his tamer's head for support. It  
giggled.  
  
"Ruki Makino. My partner, Renamon." Renamon nodded slightly when Ruki  
mentioned its name.  
  
"Are you sure it doesn't hurt?" Ruki asked the boy while she tied a kerchief  
around the injury. There were times that Ruki would thaw from her ice-queen  
attitude. Ryo just wished it was more often.  
  
"Yes... I'm fine. It's just a simple scratch. I'm sorry to cause all this  
fuss," The voice sounded so familiar. Ryo couldn't place it immediately.  
  
"I'm Daisuke Motomiya!" The boy with the goggles - not Takato. It was sort of  
weird seeing another boy wearing goggles. Now that he though of it, they  
rather reminded him of the goggles that he'd seen on someone else.  
  
"I'm V-mon! Pleased to meet you!" So Daisuke was partnered to V-mon... they  
seemed to have a smiliar personality.  
  
The purple haired girl spoke next, "I'm Miyako Inoue. You can call me Miyako-  
chan! Oh! And this is my partner Hawkmon." It looked like the girl was in the  
throes of infatuation looking between Jianliang and himself.  
  
The girl's partner digimon raised a wing and saluted, "Pleased to meet you."  
  
"Iori Hida..." said the youngest boy. "I'm very pleased to meet you all. My  
partner Digimon is Armadimon."  
  
"Takeru Takaishi..." It was the blonde-haired boy from earlier. The one that  
had been riding Pegasmon. Cradled in his arms was a Patamon. There was  
something vaguely familiar about this boy too... and it wasn't because of  
earlier.  
  
"I'm Patamon!" It waved a winged ear at him.  
  
"Hikari... Yagami...." said the final girl. "This is my partner... Tailmon.  
I'm pleased to meet you." She had a shy air about her.  
  
The boy that had been injured finally introduced himself. He had a shy smile  
and the most vivid blue eyes. He held a Wormmon in his arms. "Ichi-"  
  
Then it hit him. Wormmon. That voice. Before Ken could even finish his  
introduction Ryo was in motion. "Ken!!!" He wasted no time moving foward  
to promptly give the boy a good noogie, touseling his hair. "You're so tall  
now! How long has it been anyways?!"  
  
"Ryo-san?" It was Wormmon that spoke, hopping out of Ken's arms to the ground  
where it clutched at his pant leg. Wormmon hadn't changed at all, it seemed.  
"It's you isn't it, Ryo-san?"  
  
"Yo, Wormmon. You havn't changed at all," he replied with a grin, finally  
relenting after thoroughly mussing Ken's hair till it looked like the boy's  
older brother's hairstyle.  
  
"Eh? You know Ryo-san as well Wormmon?" asked V-mon, ambling forward. "Are you  
the-"  
  
So it WAS this V-mon! "How have you been V-mon? Long time no see!" He hoped to  
cut off the rest of V-mon's statement and distract him. V-mon was easy to  
sidetrack. "Found your partner finally?"  
  
V-mon gave a thumbs up. "Great! And yeah!"  
  
"What do you mean by that?" asked Daisuke. The goggle-boy didn't seem to be  
liking this conversation one bit. Daisuke seemed to have a kind of posessive   
interest in Ken. "What's Ken to you anyways?"   
  
"Ah... nothing... I'd met V-mon before... he hadn't found his partner yet at  
the time..." He hoped V-mon would leave it at that....  
  
Ken had apparently recovered from the greeting at last, and tried to smooth  
back down his hair. Ryo found it strange that Ken hadn't said anything yet...  
maybe Ken had forgotten him? Maybe Ken was angry? It wasn't like Ryo had  
deliberately left Ken... it just sort of happened.  
  
Wormmon spoke up, "Ryo-san and Ken-chan fought together to defeat  
Milleniumon."  
  
"Then... you're a Chosen Child like us?" asked Miyako excitedly.  
  
"Not... exactly," Ryo replied with a wry grin. Kinda... sorta... I prefer to  
be called a Digimon Tamer. "I can't really explain it all that well."  
  
Ryo meanwhile noticed the look on Ken's face as he leaned down to pick Wormmon  
back up. He looked confused. Ken HAD forgotten about him.... Part of him was  
sad, the other part... a bit angry. He had been best friends with Ken.  
  
"Ryo-kun.... you know these people....?" asked Takato. He sounded so  
tentative.  
  
"Technically.... I only know Ken, Wormmon and V-mon. It's a long story." Ryo  
ticked off the names one-by-one on his fingers. "We fought Milleniumon  
together before circumstances brought me... here."  
  
"Where IS here?" asked Iori. "This doesn't look like the Digital World."  
  
"It's.... again... a long story... and I'm really hungry... anyone got any  
food on them?" Ryo realized just now, how hungry he was... it had to be around  
7 or 8 o'clock by now... "And we really need to find a place to set up camp  
before night hits."  
  
"Takato.... Guilmon is hungry too...." Guilmon whined pointing to its loudly  
growling stomach.  
  
"Me too..." said V-mon. Across the board, as if in response to Guilmon's  
growling stomach, there were responding noises from all around.  
  
"Come to think of it..." said Takato looking chagrined. "We missed dinner  
completely...."  
  
"That's true..." Jianliang replied. "It'll be dark soon... Ideally we should  
move to one of the higher levels where we stand a better chance of finding  
food and shelter."  
  
"I'd rather not risk it," replied Ryo. "Not with a group this large.... That's  
it! The Reload Machine! Maybe it'll work..." Ryo sat down and pulled it back  
out of his satchel. "Although..... I don't remember ever seeing one this  
portable.... the last one I saw took up an entire wall. Maybe that old man  
made some improvements!"  
  
"Old man...?" "Reload Machine?" "Improvements?" Judging by the comments the  
others were making he wasn't making an entire lot of sense to either team...  
Eh. Who cared?  
  
"I've been meaning to ask you," said Jianliang. "What does that do?"  
  
"It allows the user to communicate across a dimensional rift to another Reload  
Machine user.... I just hope there's someone friendly on the other end..."  
  
He fiddled with it a bit before setting it down on the ground. Very carefully,  
with his head as far away as possible, he pushed the activate button.  
  
A column of light shot up, resolving into a almost completely solid blond-  
haired guy. Who the HECK was that? There was some static inteference which  
caused the image to flicker occasionally but otherwise, this guy could have  
been standing here with them.  
  
"Gennai-san!" exclaimed the boy who had introduced himself as Iori.  
  
"Gennai-san?" asked Ryo. "Isn't Gennai supposed to be some SUPER old guy with  
a topknot and a trenchcoat? This guy looks too cool!"  
  
"Long time no see...." said the blond-haired figure, grinning wryly. "We had  
wondered what happened to you, Ryo-kun... Ken said you had to be alive  
somewhere... it seems he was correct."  
  
"Man... do you age backwards or something?" Ryo asked, propping his chin on  
his hands as he sat there indian style looking up at Gennai. "I don't get  
it... but if you've got any food over there can you send some over?"  
  
"I'm not certain how long we can communicate, this dimensional rift is very  
unstable. How DID you find the Reload Machine? It was stolen from Piccolomon  
when its home was destroyed. I have yet to re-establish contact."  
  
"That's the strange thing about it all," said Ryo. "Food? We can talk while  
transferring right?"  
  
"Oh... yes, I believe that was one of the improvements...." Gennai began to  
speak as a crate of apples seemed to coalesce from the digital ether.  
  
Ryo snagged one biting into it. His mouth was filled with a crisp tartness,  
and a bit of juice threatened to dribble down his chin. Wiping his mouth he  
replied, "Well... this weird woman with silver hair gave the package to me.  
Beats me how she knew my name, but she ran off after that. I didn't get a good  
look at her."  
  
"As if you could get a good look at her with that outfit she was wearing,"  
said Ruki in disgust.  
  
"What do you mean by that?" asked Daisuke.  
  
"Well..." said Ryo. "She wore this bizarre red dress... sunglasses and a big  
red hat."  
  
That got an instant response from the other kids.  
  
"It can't have been..." said Daisuke, vehemently. "Archnemon is dead!"  
  
"Who...?" asked Takato, handing Guilmon a red-bean bun. At least they wouldn't  
be hungry for long at the rate food was appearing.  
  
"Waaaai! Bread! Bread!" Guilmon danced around with the bread causing something  
of a minor distraction. "Waaaai!"  
  
"Guilmon!!!" said Takato. "Quiet down."  
  
"Takato... I'm sorry" Guilmon's ears drooped under Tatako's remonstration. The  
red Digimon then focused on eating... well at least that would keep Guilmon  
quiet for a while.  
  
"About a year ago," said Daisuke. "After the battle with the Digimon Kai- mrf!  
" Daisuke never got very far when Miyako grabbed Daisuke and promptly tried to  
shut him up. She had grabbed him by the cheeks and was pulling them violently.  
"Miyakhoh! Ugh! Tha- hurs! Owwowowowow-"  
  
"Daisuke! We don't need to get into that right now!" Miyako hissed.  
  
Hikari watched for a moment before she spoke, "We fought against Arachnemon  
and Mummymon. Two Perfect-Level Digimon. They were using Dark Towers to create  
souless Digimon and destabilize the Digital World. They were used by someone  
that wanted to get into the Digital World but he was in reality being  
controlled by Belial Vamdemon - who had been defeated in another form by eight  
of us some three years ago...."  
  
Digimon Kai-? What had Daisuke been about to say that the others didn't want  
him to say? All of them had this sort of look on their face - they had their  
attention focused on Ken it seemed. Ryo glanced towards Ken. Ken was looking  
down on the ground while holding Wormmon, looking... well.. he knew that  
look... he'd have to talk to Ken later.  
  
"If it is Arachnemon... why would it help me. I get it," said Ryo. "Good  
point... why would it go through the effort of destroying Piccolomon's  
hideout, steal a Reload Machine... hop a dimension to give this to me?"  
  
"That sums it up fairly well," said Takeru. He'd paused to select an apple.  
"Can the Reload Device send us back?"  
  
"I'm afraid that's not possible at this moment," replied Gennai. "I will  
attempt to contact you when Taichi and the others arrive here."  
  
"Taichi-san?!" exclaimed Ryo getting on his knees. "How is he? How's Agumon?"  
he asked. That was a name he hadn't heard in so long. Taichi's Agumon had been  
the reason he'd journeyed to the Digital World in the first place...  
  
"He's fine," assured Gennai. "Now that everyone is accounted for... I will  
attempt to find a way to bring everyone back... I will be in contact. Until  
then, please be careful."   
  
The transmission faded.  
  
"Um.... Ryo-san?" asked Takato. "Who was that?"  
  
Ryo glanced towards Takato grinning, "Well... it's sort of hard to explain but  
he's a protector of the Digital World.... well... not this one.... He's not a  
Digimon but he's been in the Digital World for ages and ages I think. I'm not  
sure what he is - he's not human."  
  
"That's right," said Takeru. "Gennai-san has been a great help to us."  
  
"I don't really get it," said Takato, looking for the life of him like he was  
trying his best to struggle through a difficult math problem - and failing.  
  
"Don't worry about it, Takato-kun," said Ryo. "I've been through it all and I  
STILL don't get it."  
  
"Corny," replied Ruki. She had sat down on a rock where she was now sipping at  
some tea. She never really seemed to like his lines.  
  
----  
  
Daisuke had been talking to Takato about the card-slash type thingamy that  
Takato and his friends could do. It looked cool maybe if he could figure out  
that thing, he could get Hikari to notice him.  
  
Images of himself standing surrounded by an army of viral Digimon while he  
stood there calm. He'd pull out a card and perform a cool card slash to power  
up V-mon. Yeah... that was definitely on his list of cool. Maybe he'd beg a  
card or two from Takato later.  
  
Daisuke spoke up, "So how do you know Taichi-sempai?" It was clear that Ryo  
knew something about where they came from unlike his other three companions.  
They had camped down in the shadow of some cliffs, where it was protected  
enough to start a fire.  
  
"Well..." said Ryo grinning. "To make a long story short... I saved him and a  
bunch of other Chosen Children once... That was when I had my first battle  
with Millenniumon."  
  
"AAAAAH! You're the one!" exclaimed Takeru extending his hand to Ryo. "You're  
the one that saved us! Now I remember! It's good to see you again!"  
  
Ryo grinned shaking Takeru's hand, "I thought I knew you from somewhere...  
You're the kid I saw on the internet broadcast... with Diablomon and Omegamon.  
Metal Garurumon's partner's younger brother... right?"  
  
Takeru nodded, looking chagrined, "Yeah... that was me...."  
  
"What are you talking about?" asked Daisuke, he'd tuned out mid-conversation  
to disappear into his fantasy world. He rapped his knuckles on V-mon's head  
when he caught sight of his Digimon edging towards the chocolate chip muffins.  
  
"Ow..." V-mon protested.  
  
"I saw you eying the chocolate muffins," said Daisuke. "Those are for dessert.  
And who's this Milleniumon?"  
  
"It was like four years ago," said Takeru. "Agumon was the only one... he went  
to Gennai for help and they found a Chosen Child to help save us. I'm not sure  
what it was all about... but somehow Ryo-san partnered with Agumon temporarily  
to pull it off."  
  
Daisuke watched Ryo turn his attention towards Ken.  
  
"That sounds so cool!" said Miyako. "Is it possible to partner with another  
Chosen's Digimon?"  
  
"Ah... I'm not sure... apparently I'm the only one that's done it..." Ryo  
replied rubbing the back of his head.  
  
"Show-off...." Daisuke heard Ruki mutter.  
  
"Ruki..." The fox Digimon? Renamon had nudged Ruki gently in the arm.  
  
Daisuke hazarded a glance at Ken. His best friend was sitting a distance away  
- probably the furthest from the fire and everyone else. Ken had that  
difficult look on his face - like he was hurting inside. Wormmom was looking  
up at him like a mothering hen.  
  
"Ken? Why don't you join us?" Ryo asked. He'd gotten up and walked over to  
where Ken was sitting. "You're not mad at me or anything are you?"  
  
Ken looked up, guiltily, it seemed. "No... it's not that, Ryo-san..." He  
looked back down. "It's just that I...."  
  
"Ken-chan has amnesia," piped up Wormmon. "He only remembers bits and pieces  
of his journey in the Digital World... It's not that he hates you... he can't  
remember who you are..."  
  
Ryo looked taken aback for a moment, "Hey, cheer up kid, I don't hold it  
against you. I'll tell you all sorts of stories about our adventures and maybe  
it'll help you remember?"  
  
Ken smiled faintly, "Maybe another time... I'm sorry... I'm just not feeling  
well today..."  
  
Daisuke noticed that Ken was rubbing at his neck. Was it a sub... subcon...  
was he doing it without knowing what he was doing?  
  
"All right... try to get some rest Ken... I'm really sorry about Monodramon...  
I'm not sure what set him off."  
  
"Is that your partner now...?" asked Ken softly.  
  
Ryo nodded, kneeling down in front of Ken. "Sounds like you remember just a  
little bit..."  
  
"I remember pushing you out of the way..." Ken answered quietly. "And  
something hitting me in the neck... that's all really..."  
  
"That's something of a start!" said Ryo, clapping Ken on the shoulder.  
"Yeah... you were really sick for a while.... you had all of us really  
worried."  
  
"I'm sorry..." Ken replied. "I seem to have a bit of a headache... I think  
I'll go for a walk..." Ken stood up slowly bowing slightly and walked off.  
  
"Anyways...." said Takeru speaking to the boy named Jianliang. "We were on a  
channel chatting when someone... or something came onto the channel.. His  
username was Millenium. He started demanding to know where Ryo was and the  
next thing we knew... here we were...."  
  
"Is it possible that this Millenium is Milleniumon?" asked Jianliang  
thoughtfully.  
  
"You might be on to something," said Takeru.  
  
"That's not possible..." said Ryo walking back over.  
  
"Howso?" asked Daisuke.  
  
Ryo answered, "Because.... Monodramon hatched from a Digi-egg that was   
formed from the Jogress of Zeed Milleniumon and the Monodramon I had partnered   
with during the quest to stop him. Milleniumon doesn't exist anymore." 


	5. Chapter 4 - "Descent"

I don't own Digimon, I wish I did...  
  
I'm considering changing the rating this fic some point soon... it's probably  
going to head down the dark angsty side (not in terms of romance) but it's  
probably going to get a bit darker.  
  
Note: I'm going to get somewhere with Taichi-folkies eventually... really!  
  
Digital Convergences Chapter 4 - "Descent"  
by Vivi-Chan  
  
-----  
  
Jianliang's mind was racing. A Jogress? Digi-Egg? It didn't make any sense and  
yet it did... He'd heard the term Jogress - it was something the Digimon of  
the same level in the card game could do to form a more powerful Digimon. Was  
it possible to Jogress a Child-Level with an Ultimate?  
  
None of the rules in the Digimon Card game covered anything like that.  
  
"Wait... your Digimon was hatched from data gained from Milleniumon?" Takeru  
had stood up in surprise.  
  
Based on everything he'd heard this evening, something finally clicked inside  
of his mind as Jianliang spoke, "Ryo-san.... Is that why you have so much  
difficulty controlling Cyberdramon?"  
  
Ryo was silent for a moment, glancing to Monodramon. His partner had dropped  
off to sleep after eating and faint snores could be heard issuing from its  
snout.  
  
Ryo nodded once, gripping his D-Ark. "Yes. As Cyberdramon, more of  
Milleniumon's data is expressed... I guess the more data it has access to...  
the more and more destructive - like Milleniumon it becomes."  
  
Jianliang wondered what it'd be like to be partnered to a Digimon that had so  
much potential for evil.  
  
"You know..." said Daisuke. "It sounds almost like when Ken-"  
  
The lavendar-haired girl had knocked down Daisuke again and was trying to put  
him in a head-lock. "I thought we agreed we wouldn't go into that!!!!!" she  
exclaimed.  
  
Jianliang had no idea what sort of issues Miyako had with Daisuke... maybe  
Daisuke had a tendency to forget what he wasn't supposed to say... He watched  
Miyako try execute some sort of head-lock wrestling move on Daisuke. These  
kids were insane.  
  
"What about Ken?" asked Ryo. It seemed to have gotten Ryo's attention.  
  
"It's nothing..." said Takeru glancing anxiously at Miyako then at Hikari.  
"Don't worry about it."  
  
"Are you sure?" asked Ryo. "If it's that important..."  
  
"You should wait for Ichijouji-san to tell you... when he feels ready..." the  
girl, Hikari had said. She looked slightly troubled. "I think it needs to come  
from him..."  
  
What exactly... were they hiding from Ryo? Jianliang frowned slightly,  
glancing at Takato. Takato was busy staring at Guilmon. Doublessly wondering  
how it would be to have a Digimon like Cyberdramon.  
  
Guilmon was blisfully oblivious to the attention. It sat there next to Takato  
gnawing on a loaf of bread. Finally sensing that Takato's attention was on it,  
it blinked turning to Takato. "Eh? What's wrong Takato?"  
  
"Nothing.... nothing at all..." replied Takato, looking dangerously on the  
verge of tears.   
  
Then again, it might not be that hard for Takato to imagine. During the battle  
at Zhuqiaomon's Southern Gate... when Beezlebumon had attacked and loaded  
Leomon's data. Takato had allowed anger to rule him. It had caused Guilmon to  
evolve into the uncontrollable Megidramon.  
  
Remebering Megidramon made him uneasy, even if just for a moment. It had been  
a very close thing.  
  
"Mou~man~tai...." mumured Terriermon reassuringly. His partner was in his lap,  
staring up at him. Looking down Jianliang saw a smile on his partner's lips.  
Jianliang smiled back mumuring a like reply.  
  
No problem.  
  
----  
  
Taichi had never been happier to get off of Whamon. "We're here!" he said  
leaping from Whamon's back to the cliff. Whamon had taken them further north  
than their previous trip. They would continue directly west the rest of the  
way. "Thanks Whamon!"  
  
There was a faint eerie cry that was similar to a whale's. "It was my  
pleasure, Chosen Children."  
  
"Taichi!" a voice in the distance attracted his attention.  
  
Looking around, he caught sight of the yellow-orange form of Agumon running  
towards him.  
  
"Yamatoooo~!!!" It was Gabumon. Yamato's partner.   
  
And Tentomon, "Koushirou-han!"   
  
"Gabumon!" exclaimed Yamato as he hopped off. It was one of those rare moments  
that Yamato would emerge from his usually aloof shell. There were other  
occasions, but they were mostly reserved for his best friend and partner.  
  
"Tentomon...!"   
  
Taichi broke into a run towards Agumon, "Agumon!!!" He caught Agumon as the  
smaller digimon leapt into his arms.  
  
Yamato was hugging Gabumon while Tentomon hovered just above Koushiro speaking  
in that uniquely Kansai accent of his. "You look well, Koushiro-han!" the  
insectoid Digimon declared.  
  
Hearing Koushirou's response, Tentomon dropped like a rock on the ground. If  
Taichi wasn't holding Agumon, he'd have facepalmed. Four years... and  
Koushirou STILL spoke to Tentomon like they were strangers.  
  
"Tentomon! Are you all right?" Koushirou asked in alarm.  
  
"Fine. Fine... You havn't changed a bit Koushirou-han." Tentomon had raised a  
taloned arm and waved. "Don't worry."  
  
"Gennai-san sent us to bring you to his place," said Gabumon.  
  
Taichi set down Agumon, noding along with Yamato and Koushirou. "We're  
counting on you," he said. They'd have to journey across the  
  
"Right!" the Digimon echoed back.  
  
Taichi grinned.  
  
----  
  
Ken's head was hurting abysmally. It had gotten worse with the fall of night.  
Of course it was quite probably because he was tired. He was feeling rather  
off humor too. Then there was all this blasted wind, whipping his hair this  
way and that. He's spent quite a while trying to fix it after Ryo had messed  
it up. Now the wind was undoing all his work.  
  
Ryo looked familiar. That was it. There hadn't been any sort of feelings that  
had come with seeing his former travelling partner. It sounded like they had  
gotten along well - especially with that greeting.  
  
He still had so many gaps in his memory. He remembered Ryo's face... he even  
remembered the clothes Ryo had worn... but he really couldn't remember any of  
the feelings connected to Ryo. It was so frustrating!  
  
"Ken-chan... perhaps we shouldn't wander too far away from the others." That  
was Wormmon speaking as it trailed after him. "It's dark and dangerous... we  
don't know what's out there."  
  
Ken grit his teeth. How could such a simple statement like that annoy him?  
Wormmon always had his best intentions in mind. What had he been thinking of?  
Oh Ryo... He continued to comb through his memories trying to remeber anything  
he could about Ryo.  
  
"Ken-chan?"  
  
Wormmon had startled him and what nebulous thought he had managed to find was  
lost. How was he going to think with someone interrupting his thoughts every  
few minutes?  
  
"What?" snapped Ken, whirling on Wormmon.  
  
Wormmon instantly cringed cowering. "I'm sorry Ken-chan!"  
  
What had he been thinking? "I'm sorry Wormmon... I'm trying to think right  
now..." He massaged his temples... the headache had to be the source of his  
bad temper. Ken leaned down to pick up Wormmon. "I didn't mean to yell at  
you..."  
  
"If your head still hurts, shouldn't you go lie down? It might make you feel  
better?" Wormmon suggested looking hopefully up at Ken.  
  
Ken smiled, "Perhaps you're right. Let's go back." The camp was a tiny  
pinpoint of light in the distance as the wind slowly picked up. Time to go  
back....  
  
----  
  
"Anyways.... This is a D-Ark," said Ryo holding up his D-Ark. In his other  
hand he held the D-3 that Takeru had lent him. "It's not really much like a D-  
3 as you can see....The D-3 has three functions. Digimon. Detect. Discover,"  
said Ryo. "Which is why it's called the D-3."  
  
Ruki found THIS vaguely interesting.... even if it felt like Ryo was being a  
bighead again. She had moved closer, sitting down next to the Hikari girl.  
Hikari smiled at her and lifted her hand in a wave. Ruki smiled back faintly  
then returned her attention to the conversation.  
  
Ryo had been one of these people? She would never have believed it. Not with  
his legendary status among the card battlers. Great. So she lost to a  
dimension hopping cornball. That really stunk.  
  
"Wow... You seem to know alot Akiyama-kun," said Hikari-chan.  
  
"Just call me Ryo," he said flashing his even white teeth as he grinned. Ruki  
rolled her eyes. "Gennai-san taught me alot about this sort of stuff. Since I  
was his favorite rent-a-kid."  
  
"Rent-a-kid?" asked Daisuke.  
  
"Nothing... nothing..." said Ryo trying to wave off the question. "- I don't  
know why there are multiple Digivice types... but anyways... this is a D-Ark.  
It's got a slot on this side - " he indicated to the reader slot while he held  
up his blue device. "For reading data from cards."  
  
"Cards?" asked Daisuke. "Takato was saying something earlier about Card  
Slashing. What's that like really?"  
  
"We use these," said Jianliang pulling out a card. Ruki caught sight of the  
image on it. Super Evolution Plug-in S. "When Slashed, the data encrypted in  
the card gives our Digimon a temporary boost.... items, attribute increases or  
attacks."  
  
"That sounds so cool," said Miyako. "You think we could do that with our D-  
3's? Would that make it a D-4?"  
  
"Unfortunately, I don't think so," replied Ryo with a laugh. "The D-3 doesn't  
have a reader slot. All in all, I think they even out since you can used  
Digimentals."  
  
"If we believe hard enough we can make 'em change!" said Daisuke hopping to  
his feet. "If Ken changed his digivice to a D-3 with a simple wish then I can  
too!"  
  
What was that all about? Daisuke was Hirokazu and Kenta balled up into one  
single sloppy package. Daisuke had pulled out his D-3 and was staring at it  
intently, "D-Ark. D-Ark." he could be heard muttering. "Turn into a D-Ark."  
  
All his friends seemed to sigh collectively and look at their shoes. Well at  
least THEY knew he was goof too.  
  
"A... anyways...." said Takeru. "Thanks for explaining your Digivices. I think  
it's so neat."  
  
"I think so too," said Hikari. "I'd love to learn how to play the card game,  
it looks so interesting."  
  
"I know! We can teach you!" said Takato. "There's plenty of time right now! We  
can trade stories and stuff."  
  
"That sounds like a great idea," said Miyako leaning forward. "Are we going to  
pair off or something? Ah...! Ichijouji! We're learning to play their Digimon  
card game! Come join us!"  
  
Ruki looked up to see the dark-haired boy wandering back in. Frankly, she  
thought he didn't look to be in ANY shape to be joining them.  
  
"I'm sorry... Miyako-san... I'm still not feeling very well... I think I'm  
going to go to bed now..." He gently set down his partner before sort of  
dragging his feet towards the rows of sleeping bags.  
  
He hadn't looked at all well dropping off to sleep. Ruki wondered why a boy  
like him was even a Chosen.  
  
"Ne! Ne! Ruki-chan!" said Miyako. "Will you teach Hikari-chan and me how to  
play that card game?"  
  
"Would you please not use '-chan'? It's not like I'm a kid." She HATED that  
diminutive. She really did. It was childish. It was stupid...  
  
"Well, no need to get all upset about it!" mouthed Miyako.  
  
"Miyako-san!" exclaimed Hikari.  
  
"I didn't mean it that way.... " said Miyako. "I'm sorry..." She didn't look  
at all contrite about it.  
  
"Whatever," said Ruki. Not like Miyako's good opinion of her mattered.  
Ichijouji had the right idea. "I'm going to bed."  
  
----  
  
Jianliang came awake at the feeling of a hand on his shoulder, gently shaking  
him. Opening his eyes, it took a moment to focus on Ryo. He was yawning. "Your  
turn..." he mumbled.  
  
Jian sat up, wondering what time it was. It was next to impossible to tell  
what time it was - there were no gradations of night/day. It was one or the  
other. Terriermon was asleep next to him.  
  
He had offered to take the last watch. Meaning he was relieving Ryo. The older  
Tamer had all but dropped back to sleep. He simply crawled into his sleeping  
bag and seemed to start snoring instantaneously.  
  
Jianliang stood up.  
  
"Jian..." mumured Terriermon rubbing at his eyes as he roused slightly.  
  
"Go back to sleep, Terriermon," he spoke softly.  
  
"All right..." mumured Terriermon.  
  
Looking around, he caught sight of people in various positions of repose.  
Daisuke had somehow managed to sprawl out of his sleeping bag, and took up  
nearly twice the space that everyone else was.  
  
Guilmon lay next to Takato saying in his sleep, "No more....... Guilmon can't  
eat anymore......"  
  
Jianliang would have liked nothing more than to go crawl back to sleep.  
Without any sort of distraction - he wasn't really interested in sorting  
through his cards. Not that anyone else was awake to play.  
  
He caught himself almost nodding off in the silence.  
  
He stretched standing up and strolling leisurly towards the edge of the camp.  
There he began a series of deep breathing before starting on a series of  
moves.  
  
Martial arts certainly helped to wake him up. It got the blood running it also  
helped him to focus. He'd certainly been so focused that he hadn't realized  
that someone was watching him.  
  
He was wiping the sweat from his brow when faint applause greeted him. Turning  
around, Jianliang caught sight of a silhouette in the shadows of the cliff  
that they had taken shelter against.  
  
"Who's there?" he asked warily. Wasn't everyone still asleep? It was like 4am.  
  
"Very well executed," said Ken, emerging partially from the shadows. There was  
something odd about the boy. He just looked plain eerie with his face half-  
cast in shadows.  
  
"Ken-san, wasn't it?" Jianliang asked. Ryo had interrupted Ken's interruption  
so Jian had never caught the boy's last name. It would have been more polite  
to address him by his last name.  
  
"Ken Ichijouji," Ken supplied in that low husky voice of his. It was barely  
above a whisper, forcing Jianliang to strain to catch what he said.  
  
"Ichijouji-san, then," said Jianliang with a smile. He felt much better  
knowing that they'd been properly introduced. "Jianliang Lee. I'm pleased to  
meet you. You couldn't sleep?" he asked.  
  
"I did go to sleep considerably earlier than everyone else," he replied  
walking forward. "I'm truly sorry that I wasn't in much of a mood to join  
everyone."  
  
"I understand," Jianliang smiled. "I'm hoping you feel better now? Is your  
headache gone?"  
  
"Yes. It seems to have subsided," Ken replied. Jianliang noted the much larger  
vocabulary. It was certainly nothing like talking to Ruki or Takato. Ken  
seemed by far the most mature of the other children - with the young boy, Iori  
running a close second.  
  
It was getting a bit chilly. Especially after working out like that. "Let's go  
back over by the fire." Falling in step with Ken they made their way back to  
the camp.  
  
The fire had died down a bit, and Jianliang added some more fuel to coax it  
back to a cheery warmth. Ken seemed to be the aloof type, even with his  
friends he had seemed somewhat distant. Trying to decide how best to break the  
ice, Jianliang came to the conclusion that he'd have to make the first move.  
"Would you like to learn how to play the card game?"  
  
"Certainly." replied Ken with a ghost of a smile.  
  
Jianliang sat down, pulling out his deck. Most of his cards were still at  
home, so he'd had barely enough to make into two sets. Ken had moved to sit  
across from him, looking intent. "It goes like this-" began Jianliang. 


	6. Chapter 5 - "A Turn for the Worse"

I don't own Digimon, I wish I did...  
  
Someone emailed me mentioning that the Digimon Adventure and 02 series is an  
anime in the Tamers universe - Unfortunately, I'm missing the Megidramon  
episodes - which if I remember, has Takato looking at an Agumon plushie or  
model (I'm waiting for Toei's Vol 9 release of Tamers. Later this month I  
think) I couldn't remember if they did the same thing in the Japanese series -  
I was always under the impression the Series 1 & Series 2 being a cartoon was  
more of a US Dub move than anything else - but I could be wrong.  
  
Personally, I would really be offended to be told I was from a cartoon and if  
they promptly began to rattle all my personal history and antics. So.....  
with that in mind, I decided to just skirt the issue entirely and link the two  
universes more like they did in the Wonderswan games. :)  
  
Also, I'm making up Ryo's relationshiop to Osamu I have no bloody clue wether  
they really knew each other. I'm assuming they should have since they seem  
about the same age. I think its odd that Ryo would get to know Ken otherwise  
otherwise too... so... anyways... that's just a bit of information about where  
I'm coming from.  
  
Enough babbling from me... Here's the next chapter.   
  
Digital Convergences Chapter 5 - "A Turn for the Worse"  
by Vivi-Chan  
  
-----  
  
Ken looked pretty good this morning... Daisuke thought. He had awoken to  
seeing Ken learning the card game from Jianliang with Takato and Ryo offering  
helpful tips.  
  
Daisuke would have loved the attention that Ken was regularily lavished.  
Fangirls. Love Letters. Chocolates. Ken always gave the latter to V-Mon who  
was a chocolate fiend.  
  
In all areas Ken was superior to him. It galled him just a bit.   
  
"I'd gladly trade it all to be normal," Ken had once told him after a soccer  
match. Ken stayed the night and they had been talking while Minomon and  
Chibimon played with each other.  
  
Of course... Ken could afford to say it. Daisuke was always just a tad jealous  
of Ken. He was smart. He was athletic... then again... Ken always went out of  
his way to help him. Especially with homework.  
  
Ken was also incredibly reserved and had enough mental problems and anguish to  
make Daisuke - ultimately... say it wasn't worth it to be in Ken's shoes. How  
his friend stayed sane was a huge mystery at times, but he figured Ken relied  
heavily on his parents, their friendship and Wormmon's companionship. It was  
sort of like a stool - you couldn't sit on one unless it had three legs!  
  
"So can you show us what a Card-Slash is like?" asked Miyako while nibbling on  
a bit of toast with jam.  
  
"I'm sure we could," said Takato, eagerly. "Right guys?"  
  
That would be cool to see a card slash. It sounded SO cool. He wanted to see  
one just to imagine himself performing one to the cheering of fans. Or  
rather... Hikari-chan.  
  
"I'm not going to waste Renamon's strength," said Ruki. Couldn't she lighten  
up?  
  
"What exactly are you going to use the cards on?" asked Jianliang.  
  
Takato looked stumped at that looking around. "How about that rock over there?  
" He pointed at an outcropping.  
  
"C'mon Guilmon!" exclaimed Takato.  
  
"Waaaaai!" The red Digimon seemed really caught up in the notion. "Guilmon  
play!"  
  
Takato pulled out a card, holding it briefly at eye level. Holding his D-arc  
cupped in the palm of his hand he twirled it in his hand so that as he raised  
it, the scanner slot faced upwards. Overhead he slid the card smoothly through  
the reader. "Card Slash! Attack Plug-in A!"  
  
It looked SO cool. Takato was lit with a green light as the ground beneath him  
seemed to glow with a digital grid beneath him. The card itself seemed to  
spark with energy as it ran through the reader. He HAD to get himself one...  
  
He remembered to watch Guilmon, who spit out an impressively LARGE fireball.  
It obliterated the rock and created a glassy pit in the ground. "I wanna D-  
Ark!!!!" protested Daisuke. He sideled up next to Takato, elbowing the boy.  
"Hey.... I'll trade my D-3 for your D-Ark!"  
  
Takato scratched his nose, "I'm not sure that it'd work... I mean... I lent my  
D-Ark to my friend Kato-san... she tried to card-slash with it but nothing  
happened."  
  
Nothing... happened? Daisuke dropped his head, crestfallen... "That's not  
fair..." he heard himself whine, slumping to the ground. "But I want one!" Yes  
he was being incredibly childish... he had been hoping though, that it was  
somehow possible.  
  
Ken was obviously trying to placate him, "Calm down... Motomiya..." Ken was  
glancing at the Tamers. "Ryo-san...? Could I possibly... see your D-Ark? I'd  
like to see if there is any possible way of converting a D-3 into a D-Ark..."  
  
Daisuke couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You're a REAL pal Ken!" he  
exclaimed hopping to his feet and grabbing Ken's hands and shaking them  
vigorously. "I'll do your homework for you for a month!"  
  
"He's better of not doing his homework at all. If you do his homework for him,  
" said Miyako snidely. "You'd just drag his grade down."  
  
"Shaddup." Why did Miyako always have to put it that way? Wasn't it supposed  
to be something more like 'it's the thought that matters?'  
  
"It's all right Miyako... it's the thought that matters..." Ken voiced.  
Daisuke felt a surge of triumph. At least he could count on Ken to understand  
how he felt!  
  
"Oh... um sure..." said Ryo, passing over his D-Ark. "I don't think it'll  
really help. It's not like I had a D-3 miraculously transformed into a D-Ark."  
  
Ken smiled, accepting it. "Thank you Ryo-san."  
  
-----  
  
Jianliang was curious, hovering over Ken somewhat. "Do you really think it's  
possible?" he asked.  
  
Ken was studying the D-Ark intently, "I don't know.." He fiddled with it for a  
moment. "I think it's worth an examination - if nothing else." He frowned  
slightly.  
  
"You must enjoy electronics?" Jianliang asked. "Do you mind if I sit down?"  
  
"I prefer programming," Ken did look for a moment as if he might object but  
then he smiled. Jianliang wondered if it had just been his imagination. Ken  
resumed studying the device. "Please sit down."  
  
Jianliang eased himself into a cross-legged position craning his head slightly  
to watch what Ken was doing.  
  
"Really?" asked Jianliang. "My father's a programmer... he worked on a project  
20 years ago that brought Digimon into existance."  
  
Ken looked up, seemingly fascinated. "Really... What do you know about it?"  
  
"Well... the D-Ark was designed as an interface of sorts to connect a human to  
the Digital World. That's what one of my dad's former associates put it. It's  
used to 'realize' digital data in the real world through the transference of  
data."  
  
"Creating matter from the quantum level?" Ken asked.  
  
Okay... the boy was a creepy sort of brilliant. He had been teaching Ken how  
to play the card game earlier this morning and had been impressed how quickly  
Ken had caught on. It seemed the boy was very technically oriented.  
  
"Yeah..." Jianliang replied.  
  
"Fascinating," Ken replied. He pressed the centre button, and a slot opened on  
the top of the D-Ark. He frowned. "Data port? So was the D-Ark designed  
artificially?"  
  
Jianliang nodded, "Apparently you can interface it with a computer... I've  
never really tried it before." Although Shibumi did it to realize Grani. It  
had involved a very complex explanation which only he had seemingly  
understood.  
  
He could get to like Ken.  
  
"That's what I'm not very sure of," replied Jianliang. "It certainly can  
accomplish things that seem like magic but a sufficiently -"  
  
"- advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." said Ken  
simultaneously. "Arthur C. Clarke."  
  
Jianliang had to smile.  
  
-----  
  
"You're amazing, Ken-chan!" said Wormmon.  
  
"Takato, you're losing your edge," said Ryo clapping the younger boy on the  
shoulder. "You lost to a complete newbie."  
  
"I was so sure it'd work," replied Takato with a faint pout. He extended his  
hand to Ken. "That was a good game, Ichijouji-kun."  
  
Ken shook hands with Takato.  
  
"I don't think I've seen anyone pick up on the idea of combos so quickly  
before," said Jianliang. He was bent over, observing the cards that had been  
put into play.  
  
"It simply means that you were an excellent instructor," said Ken with a  
smile. He looked at Takato's hand for a moment then shook it. "It was a good  
game."  
  
"Takato isn't that good of a card player anyways," said Ruki with a snort.  
"I'm not sure wether he just randomly uses cards hoping to hit on a combo."  
  
"Well you play him then," said Takato.  
  
"I don't think it'd be a fair game," said Ruki with a critical air.  
  
"He just might surprise you," said Ryo.  
  
Ruki seemed to shoot Ryo this annoyed look. Bleh. Daisuke thought that Ruki  
needed to lighten up. If she was more like Hikari-chan, she might be cute.  
  
"I don't mind. It's not always about winning," said Ken with a smile. "It's  
always interesting seeing how other people strategize."  
  
Daisuke was getting really tired. Apparently there wasn't any chance of Ken  
converting the D-3 into a D-Ark. Daisuke reached over for a can of soda. "Ya  
know... Ken just might surprise you, Ruki." He popped the tab and guzzled it  
down in a few gulps.  
  
"All right then, don't say I didn't warn you," she replied.  
  
Ruki pulled out her cards from the hip-pouch she wore. That was sort of cool.  
Daisuke began to feel the caffeine working it magic and he decided that he  
could actually concentrate.  
  
Daisuke hadn't quite figured out the game, even with Takato's coaching -  
watching Ken play against Takato hadn't helped at all either. Watching Ruki  
and Ken play their cards it became utter confusion very quickly. It probably  
would have helped if he even understood the rules... or for that matter the  
strategy.  
  
Ken set down a card. "Finish."  
  
"Three turns...." said Takato with a note of awe in his voice.  
  
Ruki had this completely stunned look on her face.   
  
Daisuke started laughing, "Seee!!! I told you!" Daisuke pointed at her  
waggling a finger. "Ken kicked your ass!"  
  
Ruki looked furious, "Shut up...." She gathered up her cards and crammed them  
in her pouch to go stalking off.  
  
Ryo nodded approvingly saying, "That's my Ken. A genius just like his brother!  
"  
  
Daisuke stopped laughing. As a matter of fact, everyone had gone deathly  
silent. Takeru. Miyako. Hikari. Everyone that knew Ken.  
  
"Er... did I say something wrong?" Ryo asked, looking around from face to  
face.  
  
Damned right he did. Daisuke wondered how Ryo could say something like that.  
"Y'know for someone that calls himself Ken's friend you really got alot of  
nerve-" began Daisuke.  
  
Ken was looking down at the ground, not meeting Ryo's eyes. "I'm sorry, Ryo...  
I wasn't sure if you knew... but my brother passed away..."  
  
----  
  
"W... what?" Ryo had faced faced down Milleniumon countless times. He had  
survived being blown from one universe to another. He wasn't so sure he could  
survive this.  
  
He only vaguely felt the ground as he sat down, his legs had given out on him.  
Osamu? Dead? "When....? H-How? You're kidding me right?"  
  
Ken replied, his voice barely audible. "Three years ago... it was a hit and-"  
  
"A hit and run?" Of all the ways Osamu could have died. "Osamu was supposed to  
do great things... like find a cure for cancer or... or... discover the answer  
to life the universe and everything! Not get mowed down by some careless  
driver!"  
  
"I'm sorry Ryo..." Ken said softly.  
  
He had really admired Osamu for his genius. He enjoyed hanging around the  
Ichijouji family. He had tons of fun keeping Ken company when Osamu was too  
busy doing homework to babysit the younger Ken.  
  
"You okay about it?" Ryo asked softly. He had managed, albeit unsteadily, to  
walk over to Ken, resting a hand on the younger boy's shoulder. "I know he  
meant alot to you..."  
  
Ken nodded slowly, still not looking up.  
  
"If you wanna talk later... I'll listen... 'kay? I'm going to go for a short  
walk..." He really needed to get away and let it really sink in. "C'mon  
Monodramon."  
  
Monodramon gave a little faint sort-of honking noise as it scrambled to catch  
up to him. "You knew his brother?" Monodramon asked curiously.  
  
"Yeah.... we were classmates," Ryo replied as they walked. "He was really  
smart... that was part of the problem. He wore glasses - in first grade even.  
That was another problem... That made him, instantly, a target for schoolyard  
bullies."  
  
Ryo could see that Monodramon was digesting this information. "Really? Why  
didn't he fight back? Is it that weird to be wearing glasses?"  
  
Ryo grinned faintly at that. "He wasn't very good at actual punches." No.  
Osamu was the the master of verbal punches. "And I think he was the only kid  
in first grade to be wearing glasses."  
  
The first time Ryo had met Osamu was when he was pulling off this one bully  
that was intent on taking Osamu's calculator. It was pretty dumb now that he  
thought about it - to be fighting over a calculator... but the calculator had  
seemed SO cool back then.  
  
It had sort of been the beginning of a really strange relationship. Ryo had  
never been really bright. It was sort of like Beauty and the Beast... Ryo was  
the wild one and Osamu was the really soft-spoken one.  
  
"So... Ryo.... why exactly are we wandering around out here?" asked  
Monodramon.  
  
----  
  
Ken listened to Ryo walking away. His head bowed, it was impossible for anyone  
to tell that he was smiling and that the trembling was more from the  
repression of laughter. How easy it was to fool these pathetic insects.  
  
How simple it was to access the thoughts of this miserable fool that had  
failed to ressurect him. Humans were so flawed by design. Them and their  
compassion. Fools. Insects.  
  
Our compassion is what will defeat you.  
  
You're still around?   
  
Of course he was still around. Just an insubstantial ghost, locked away where  
he couldn't do a thing. Just watch and suffer. Watching the boy suffer was so  
delicious. It was like feasting on ambrosia making him stronger still.  
  
When you had a strong enough mind... oh it was so simple to bend a weaker one  
to your will. Especially when you shared the same body. Ken's mind in  
particular was a wonderful place. The light within Ken was strong, but because  
of it's strength, so were the shadows. It was within the shadows that he had  
lurked, feasting on Ken's minor frustrations, sustaining itself.  
  
Arriving here, it was incredible to think that there could be so much of his  
data still in existance.  
  
There were no such things as hands, bodies and the like within the mind. But  
he so enjoyed shaping what his victims perceived.  
  
The room was lit with soft purple hues. A mental dungeon of sorts if you  
considered it. He reclined on a throne of velvet and silk. Almost a ghost...  
that's how weak the fool was. A pale waif of a boy was trapped like an insect  
in a web. Given long enough, he could drain Ken to nothingness. Only a thought  
away, he liked keeping Ken close to watch him suffer.  
  
"What are you going to do with Ryo's partner?"  
  
"His partner? I'm his partner!" It had seemed fitting that it mold its mental  
image of itself into the Digimon Kaiser. The epitomy of everything that Ken  
hated about himself.  
  
"I should have been his partner! He was always with another Digimon! It made  
it impossible to partner with him! Chosen Children! Always interfering! Nosing  
about where you weren't welcome." He seized Ken's own mental image gripping  
him by a fistful of hair. "And you! You were so close to restoring me! We  
could have found him. He could have joined us! You fragile. Pathetic. Insect.  
You disgust me."  
  
He would need to initiate the second phase of his plan soon. Then he would be  
together with Ryo. Forever.  
  
"Ken..." He identified the voice as belonging to that annoying simpleton.  
Daisuke. "I can't believe that Ryo was that insensitive-"  
  
Turning his attention from the prisoner within, he focused back on Daisuke.  
"You shouldn't blame him," he said, still not looking up. He stood up, careful  
not to look anyone in the eye. "He didn't know... he couldn't have known. I'm  
sorry, Daisuke... I want to be alone right now..."  
  
He turned to walk away, he wanted to drop this absurd act. He wanted time to  
initiate the second phase of his plan. It would be so easy to create a rift in  
these two groups. Daisuke. He could tell the boy was jealous. Jealous that Ryo  
seemed to be such a part of Ken's past. Oh it would be so delicious.  
  
"Very soon.. my love..." he mumured to himself. 


	7. Chapter 6 - "Paths of Divergence"

I don't own Digimon, I wish I did...  
  
Okay I'll admit Daisuke is not a character I'm very good at capturing (which  
is why I don't RP him). I really prefer writing for characters like Koushirou,  
Digimon Kaiser/Ken, Milleniumon, Ryo... Oh! Guilmon and his bread!  
  
Guilmon: (running around) "Waaaai! Guilmon is loved as much as Guilmon bread!"  
  
Koushirou: Should we be afraid for our lives if we're lumped into the same  
category as Guilmon bread?  
  
Ryo: (watches Guilmon crash through a wall) I'd say... yes.... although I'd be  
more worried about being in the same category as Milleniumon.  
  
After braving fumigation whereupon I think the pest people probably gave my  
muse a fatal dose of Vikane gas, I think I've replaced Milleniumon with Moon=  
Milleniumon as my new muse.  
  
Digital Convergences Chapter 6 - "Paths of Divergence"  
by Vivi-Chan  
  
----  
  
As they sat around the fire in the evening, Takeru mused over what he had  
heard today. The place was weirder than their own Digital World. Well not  
really - it seemed more... unforgiving. The stories that Takato and the others  
had regaled about their adventures painted a very stark picture of a strong  
eats weak world.  
  
"The Tournament must have started by now..." said Ruki slowly, staring up  
towards the glowing sphere in the sky. The others had explained it as being  
the real world. The one they came from.  
  
"What's this tournament...?" asked Daisuke.  
  
"The D-1 Tournament," replied Takato. "It's a national competition to find the  
best Digimon Card Game players in all of Japan. Ryo-san and Ruki were previous  
champions."  
  
"Wow..." said Takeru faintly, his friends voicing similar opinions. Was that  
why Ruki had seemed so upset at losing to Ken? There seemed to be something  
more behind the anger. "I didn't know that. What about you, Takato-kun?"  
  
"Ah... I'm not a really good card player," Takato replied. "I'm nowhere near  
the level of Ruki and Ryo-san..."  
  
Takeru grinned, "I'm sure you're better than you give yourself credit for."  
  
Takato smiled, "Thanks..." He goggle-boy resumed poking at a curious PDA-like  
device, half-heartedly it seemed before finally, setting it down.. "I don't  
think I can communicate with Yamaki-san with this... I've tried sending him  
messages but none of them seem to have gotten through."  
  
"So we're stuck here without a way back. Great," replied Ruki, although it  
wasn't necessarily an angry sort of comment.  
  
"Does Yamaki-san have an email address?" asked Hikari as she sat down next to  
him. "Maybe... we can email him using the D-Terminal."  
  
"It's worth a shot," said Jianliang.  
  
Hikari offered her D-Terminal to Takato. Takato seemed to find it quite  
fascinating, oohing and umming alternatively while she tried to explain how it  
worked.  
  
"Could I possibly borrow it when you're done?" asked Jianliang. "I want to try  
to email my father."  
  
"You can borrow mine," offered Takeru. He fished out his D-Terminal. "We've  
all got one."  
  
"Thank you, Takeru-kun," replied Jianling accepting the terminal. "It's like a  
pocket PC. Pretty impressive."  
  
"It's pretty nifty," replied Takeru. "Our Digimentals are stored in its  
memory."  
  
Jianliang wanted one of these D-Terminals. They seemed so neat. He quickly  
composed an email. Hoping that Takato was having luck contacting Yamaki. He  
returned the D-Terminal to its owner. "I'd love to have one of those someday."  
  
Takeru chuckled, "Maybe you will." He started to put it back when it there was  
an alert that mail had come in. Takeru opened the display scanning the header.  
"It's from a Lee Jianyou. Is that your father?"  
  
Jianliang leapt to his feet, nodding, "Yes it is..."  
  
"I hope the D-Terminal data is compatible... I can't make heads or tails of  
what he wrote," said Takeru handing it over.  
  
"I wrote in Chinese, sorry..." Jianliang replied sitting down to skim the  
email. "He must have just automatically answered back the same way."  
  
Jianliang skimmed the message, it was indeed from his father - and not some  
stranger from where they came from like he had feared. "My father apparently  
just received a call from Mr. Yamaki."  
  
"Then he received my email?" asked Takato hopefully.  
  
"I think so..." Jianliang replied.  
  
As if to emphasize the point, the D-Terminal that Takato was holding beeped  
with an incoming message.  
  
"It's from Mr. Yamaki!" exclaimed Takato. "He's going to get everyone together  
and bring us home!"  
  
----  
  
By about day four, enforced idleness was beginning to take its toll. Even  
Jianliang was beginning to feel it. Things were too quiet.   
  
The Digimon - the ones that were awake.... were making enough noise to wake  
the dead. Yet somehow Ryo, Miyako and Daisuke were still snoozing up a storm.  
  
"Where's Ken...?" asked Takato.  
  
Takeru exchanged a look with Hikari before replying, "I think he might have  
gone for a walk.... Hikari-chan? Can I talk with you for a moment?"  
  
"Sure..." she said standing up. "We'll be right back."  
  
The two had moved off to quietly discuss something. Something about Ken seemed  
to be bothering them, although he wondered what? "Jiiiian!" It was Terriermon  
trying to catch his attention. It worked as he turned around to see what his  
partner was doing.  
  
Armadimon was at the very bottom. Guilmon was balancing on his hands, atop  
Armadimon's shell. Guilmon was one large Digimon - one of the largest child-  
level Digimon he'd ever seen with the exception of Renamon - Ruki's partner.  
  
Atop Guilmon, each one balanced more and more unsteadily atop each other was  
Monodramon, V-mon and Hawkmon. Wormmon was atop Hawkmon and Terriermon was  
using its ears to balance atop Wormmon. Right now, Patamon was trying to land  
on top of Terriermon to form the Digital World's first ever Digimon Tower of  
Pisa.  
  
As Patamon landed, A bit of dust tickled at Guilmon's nose and with a sneeze,  
the Digimon Tower crumbled into a heap of laughing Digimon.  
  
"It's amazing how well they get along," said Takato. "I mean... we've only  
just met and look at them."  
  
Jianliang nodded, glancing back towards Takeru and Hikari. Were they? Or was  
he just reading a bit too much into things?  
  
Terriermon had been the first to disentangle itself from the pile.  
"Mou~Man~Tai!" chimed out Terriermon running around madly in circles around  
the camp. "Moumantai! Waaaai Waii! Moumantai!"  
  
Jianliang smiled. His Digimon hadn't changed one bit, being as cute as ever  
and as hyper as ever.  
  
"Moumantai! Moumantai!" chimed Guilmon with its paws raised in the air in glee  
as he started chasing after the hyperactive Terriermon.  
  
V-Mon had gone to harass Daisuke into a state of wakefulness. The noise had  
also successfully roused the remaining two sleepers - both of which were  
groggily peering about. Miyako was cleaning her glasses while Ryo was crawling  
out of his sleeping bag.  
  
"Takeru~" Patamon winged into his arms. "What does 'Moumantai' mean?"  
  
"It means, 'no problem' in Chinese," answered Jianliang. He had approximately  
one second to brace himself before his hyperactive Digimon leapt into his arms  
laughing. He staggered nearly falling back on his rump, saved only by the fact  
that he had seen it coming.  
  
"Moumantai? I like it," announced Takeru after what seemed to be a moment's  
deliberation.  
  
He glanced to see Hikari reviewing her D-Terminal. She jogged over, holding it  
up. "There's an email from Yamaki-san," she called out.  
  
"What's it say?" asked Ruki, sitting up. The first bit of activity from her  
since breakfast.  
  
"He says that they're still trying to get an Ark set up but there's some sort  
of problem.... I don't really understand what he's saying..." Takato handed  
the D-Terminal to him.  
  
Jianliang frowned reading the contents slowly, "Apparently, the Digital World  
and the Real World are falling out of synch, and it's causing a problem trying  
to establish a solid connection. So far only twelve hours have passed compared  
to our four days since we sent them email. They're guessing it'll take a few  
more days - their time..."  
  
"We're spending at least a MONTH stuck here?" asked Ruki. She was definitely  
not happy.  
  
"Maybe we can help," said Daisuke, cramming his goggles onto his head as he  
walked over. "I'm not sure how... but we'll help. We just gotta work together  
on this."  
  
Jianliang had to admire Daisuke's optimism. "I suppose it'd be best if we  
replied to Yamaki-san... perhaps one of you could explain how things work  
where you come from."  
  
----  
  
Daisuke had no clue what Miyako was jabbering about - the Digivice did this  
and that... this function and option... his head was spinning from it all. He  
was just a leader-type really!  
  
V-mon was eating a bar of chocolate by his feet. He was being about as much  
help as Takato was - well hopefully more. He was out of his league on this, a  
fact he cheerfully accepted. Looking around, he noticed that Wormmon was at  
the edge of the camp, looking about anxiously.  
  
Daisuke stood up and walked over, "What's wrong Wormmon? Where's Ichijouji?"  
he asked the green Digimon.  
  
"Ken-chan went out for a walk as soon has he woke up," answered Wormmon. "It  
seems like it's been so long. I'm worried for him."  
  
"Maybe he wanted some time alone," Daisuke replied. "You know what he's like  
sometimes. I think having this many people around him might have driven him  
just a bit nuts."  
  
Ken was always really quiet. Really tended to lone wolf. It was hard to tell  
what was on his mind alot of the times. Ken was also the nicest guy Daisuke  
had been priviledged to call a friend. Always went out of his way to help  
him.... but something had changed about Ken recently, and it didn't ring right  
with him.  
  
"I'm just worried," Wormmon replied. "He's been gone longer and longer every  
day. What if he's hurt? Renamon's mentioned how Digimon are always looking for  
Tamers here... what if one of them kidnapped Ken-chan?" Wormmon looked so  
miserable.  
  
"Why don't we go looking for him? I think they're being a bit too geeky for  
half of us." He pointed a thumb to Jianliang who was using the Reload Machine  
to communicate with Gennai. "I'll see if anyone else wants to help so we can  
cover more ground."  
  
"Really?" Wormmon's eyes instantly lit up like Christmas lights.  
  
"Heeeey guys! If any of you are free. Wormmon's worried about Ken. I think we  
should look for him just in case he's hurt." Daisuke waved his hands for  
attention.  
  
Hikari-chan. Takato. Ruki. Iori. Takeru. Ryo.  
  
"If you don't mind, I'll stay and help Lee-kun," called out Miyako.  
  
"I'm counting on you!" called out Daisuke. She was best at it anyways. And it  
meant that they could still stay in touch through their D-Terminals.  
  
"We can split into three teams," said Ryo. "Ruki and Takato can pair up with  
you guys."  
  
"Right..." said Daisuke.   
  
"I'll go with Iori. We can Jogress if things get ugly," said Takeru. Iori  
nodded in assent.  
  
Daisuke couldn't believe his luck. He'd be with Hikari-chan then! Score one!   
  
"I'm looking forward to working with you, Takato-kun," Hikari-chan said with a  
smile at the other boy. GAAAAAAAH!!! Why was the universe so intent on  
throwing all these obstacles at him?! Wait... if Hikari was with him and  
Takato... and Takeru and Iori were with Ruki... "Akiyama... Who's pairing up  
with you?" asked Daisuke.  
  
Ryo grinned, giving a thumbs up. "Nobody. I'll be fine on my own. After all, I  
spent 10 months here on my own with Cyberdramon." He turned to walk away with  
his partner. "I'll take this way."  
  
"Showoff..." muttered Ruki, turning to walk away. "We're going. Renamon!"  
  
Ruki's response echoed his perfectly, and he was glad he wasn't the only one  
that thought that way. "Well! What are we waiting for? Let's go!" Daisuke  
called out. "Ken's waiting for us!" 


End file.
